Mindfulness

At Bath Fertility, we appreciate that going through fertility investigations and treatments can be stressful and provoke anxiety. For many people, the biggest cause of anxiety is not necessarily the events they are living through but their thoughts about them.

We adopt a mindful approach to fertility treatment, where it feels appropriate. This can enable patients to feel calmer and more in control of their emotions. Breathing and relaxation techniques can help to make some procedures more comfortable.

Mindfulness is a very talked about topic at the moment in all walks of life.

So what is mindfulness?

In its simplest form, mindfulness is a form of meditation which focuses on being in the moment and uses breathing techniques to concentrate the mind. Studies have found benefits in terms of decreasing stress levels, reducing anxiety and pain and people can feel happier and more positive.

The impact of being told you need to be referred for fertility treatment is riddled with anxiety.

Dr Kate Kerr MBBS BSc Psychology, is a GP with a special interest in sexual and reproductive health, explains why she began to offer mindfulness to patients at Bath Fertility.

She said: “When patients come to us at the Bath Fertility they are often anxious and worried, not only about whether they will be able to have a family of their own, but about the processes they may need to go through during fertility treatment. Time is very often an issue too, especially with more and more women choosing to have a family later in life.

We try to help some patients deal with this anxiety by adopting a mindful and more holistic approach when undertaking certain procedures. This can help them feel calmer and reduce any pain they would experience. We have received a lot of positive feedback about this approach.”

"Nurses here are all so lovely, very calm and reassuring from arrival through to the treatment and after care. Thank you for all your support."

"Everyone here has been so friendly, caring and personal – thank you. It has made what has been quite an emotional journey so much more bearable. We are not at the end yet but there is nowhere else we would rather be for our treatment. Thank you"

"As we stressed when we saw you, we couldn’t be more pleased with the services that Bath Fertility provides – and not just because we were successful first time with IVF and had two beautiful twins."

"Nurses and medical staff excellent. Both clinically professional and knowledgeable but with a caring and very human manner. They have all made a stressful process much more comfortable."

"Thank you so much to everyone involved. The whole process has been nerve wracking but you all made us feel comfortable and involved every step of the way."

"We are always very impressed by the care, attention and friendliness of staff at the clinic. Their approach instils trust at such an important and emotional time and we have every faith that everything is being done to ensure successful treatment."

"Couldn’t have been a better service and experience. Nurses were all fantastic and I feel very lucky to have been fortunate to attend this particular clinic. Such beautiful people – keep up the good work and many thanks."

"I just wanted to write to thank you so much, from the bottom of our hearts, for all of your help with helping us to conceive. We were thrilled that on our first attempt of IVF under the care of you that we have fallen pregnant."

"We felt extremely well cared for by you and all of your staff at Bath Fertility. We felt so well informed and cared for throughout the whole IVF process."

"We wanted you to know that as professionals ourselves, we were hugely impressed with every stage of our treatment, and all the staff that make it possible. The work you all do is truly amazing – my mother keeps saying “it’s a miracle” and I have to correct her and tell her it’s not a miracle, it’s science!"